Mirror Image
by Aqua-Tranquility
Summary: Irene was a reflection of someone else. Someone she had never met. A mirror image.


Irene, unlike most people, was born fully grown. Based on someone else out there, a duplicate. The Emperor, the Black Mage, Zeref himself brought Irene to life using _her_ counterparts eye; at least that was the story. Irene had no reason to doubt. She was not that first that he had done this too. All the same, his motives were too unclear. What was her purpose? Irene was not one of Zeref's many demons, at least to her knowledge, and extensive power aside she was similar to any other person one may pass on the street. Zeref taught her magic. She was his creation, but why?

* * *

The ancient library was silent. A thick layer of dust clung the shelves like a coat of snow. Irene palmed her way through thousands upon thousands of delicate pages. She occasionally munched on the apple she brought with her; she was not looking for anything in particular. Zeref rarely taught her, so the task was left up to Irene herself. Perhaps she could convince August to show her some magic, but it was unlikely; he wasn't particularly fond of Zeref's experiments though he dared not question the emperor. Apparently, Larcade, Zeref's snot nosed brat, was the cause of August's resentment.

Irene was drawn out of thoughts by her eyes, well eye really, only one was truly hers, landing on a page. _Ankhseram._ A god worshiped in Midean. The very land Zeref hailed from; though it had long since crumbled. The real point of interest was what happened to those who faced Ankhseram's wrath. Namely, when someone contorted the balance between life and death, Ankhseram cursed them with Black Magic. Those cursed were immortalized and, as a result, uncontrollably exude a black miasma that instantaneously kills all life it touches. The only way to stop this is for the victim to forget the value of life. A curse of contradiction. The kind of curse Zeref himself suffered.

On multiple occasions Zeref had tampered with life and death; Larcade, Irene, even the demons from Zeref's book and END their creation all spat in the face of the curse and Ankhseram themself. None of them suffered the curse.

Why? Were they exempt or did the curse manifest differently for Zeref's creations? If they were truly exempt did that mean Irene was not truly alive? Did Ankhseram not consider them people? Therefore, ignoring their existence.

Perhaps that was August's problem. Irene never took him for a religious man. She supposed the shoe fit given how rigid he was; piety, temperance, prudence were all values August lived by; regardless of action no one could deny August was a virtuous man, but he was not the sort to worship a higher power. He must simply see the value in not needlessly provoking a god. One could respect power without agreeing with it. Irene knew that well enough.

* * *

A powerful magical force descended from the heavens obliterating the tower off in the distance. So much for answers, if Irene's answers were in the Tower of Heaven they were not anymore.

Irene could be wrong though it was unlikely. She could still feel something tugging at her; what it was exactly Irene could not say. Of course, letting emotions dictate actions was pure folly; naive and foolish. Irene was above it.

Irene could not tear her eyes, eye, away from the catastrophe. Zeref told her the answers about her origins lay here. Now they were, more likely than not, gone.

Irene considered using her eye magic for a moment; just in case there was something. Alas, there was too much debris in the air to make that a viable option. Irene was about to turn back, answers were overrated anyway when amongst the settling dust a burst of scarlet caught her eye. Irene did not have to move any closer to know. This person was her counterpart.

* * *

Her name was Erza Scarlet.

A mere eight years had passed since Irene's creation. Eight years and she had finally come across her counterpart.

It did not take much inquiry to discover more about her counterpart. Titania, the Queen of Fairies, little more than eighteen and the girl was idolized and feared in tandem. Irene was almost jealous, _almost_. Erza was nothing compared to Irene; she knew that as with that with complete certainty. Irene was Zeref's creation, his prodigy for a time, the Scarlet Despair, and a member of the Spriggan twelve. Doubt lingered. What was Irene without the original she was derived from?

Irene would be nothing without this pathetic child who chased false dreams of friendship and family. Erza was a part of Irene. Her weakness resided inside of Irene too. Try as she might, Irene could not deny that she was intrinsically linked to a lesser being.

* * *

A year nearly passed before her counterpart vanished into thin air. Before long, Titania was as much of a myth as her namesake.

Irene felt sure of herself for the first time in years. Irene's life was her own; her counterpart was gone and, although Irene did not need the validation, she felt that she did not owe her life to anyone else.

In the following years, Irene relished the diminishment of Fairy Tail. All their ideals meant nothing in the face of reality. It was reassuring, in a way.

* * *

Seven years later, Irene was shaken to the core when Fairy Tail rose from the ashes. Her counterpart lived.

It was then Irene began to realize something, which sickened her greatly, for all her bluster she was _lonely_. Her counterpart was not, and Irene resented her all the more for it; in the end, Irene wrote it off as weakness.

What were people when you had power?

* * *

Irene had thought the Emperor was above being swayed by mere emotions. Although he cared for Larcade, in his own way, he never treated his son with as much consideration as his resurrected 'brother' and the woman that bewitched him. When it came to those two Zeref's emotions ruled. Irene had never seen him this way; how could the fabled Black Mage be reduced to something so weak?

Irene did not let anything control her so if she did Irene would not send Neinhart to do her dirty work. Irene was committed to the cause, to the empire of Alvarez.

Then that _Mavis_ infuriated Irene, and the war would be won regardless, so protocol be damned. Irene was going to be selfish and so the time finally came to confront her counterpart.

The shock on _Titania's_ face was evident, "I am you and you are me," _and there can only be one,_ the words whispered in the corner of her mind.


End file.
